The Mockingbird Song
by ironmermaidens
Summary: A Little Sister finds comfort in a song sung by a stranger in a kitty cat mask, and a woman in a cocktail dress discovers the way into a young girl's heart.


_A/N: I originally wrote this in 2011, but deleted it along with all my other stories when I moved to AO3. I suppose there's no reason for me not to repost it since I've been browsing this site quite a bit lately. I hope those of you who've never seen it before enjoy it, and those that were around way back then still think it's worth a read._

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In a dark corridor nestled in the farthest corner of Olympus Heights, a Little Sister wept. Tears left wet tracks down her dirty cheeks as she shook the massive arm of her monstrous protector for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Please get up, Mister B…" She croaked, her voice shot from hours of crying. Her protector fell to a splicer's gunfire what felt to be a millions years earlier. The young, yellow-eyed girl hadn't left his side since she witnessed the light fade from his helmet. That was when the first tears had fallen.

In the back of her mind she knew it was not safe to stay here; her sobbing echoed through the empty halls of Mercury Suites, and no doubt was attracting the attention of all kinds of strangers. Bad strangers. All strangers were bad, and Mister Bubbles protected her from them. But Mister Bubbles was gone now… And she missed him.

She did not want to leave him here. She was scared to be alone. So she stayed by his side, and she cried, and she held on to the hope that Mister Bubbles was simply sleeping, that he would wake up any time and they could be together once more.

From the shadows of a pillar behind the girl, a woman stood, watching. She wore a bright red cocktail dress- though you could not tell this by the dirt and grime caked onto it- and over her face laid a mask meant to emulate a cat, hiding her face from view. She might have been beautiful once, possibly the envy of all those around her, but she no longer held any semblance of beauty. Her skin was sagging, almost appearing to melt off her body, and she was no longer in the right frame of mind to properly apply makeup or do her chocolate colored hair in the rolling curls she once wore. Not that she cared for such things anymore. No, the woman in the ruined cocktail dress and the cat mask had only one thing on her mind as she watched the Little Sister wipe her eyes free of tears: ADAM.

 _"Hush, little baby, don't say a word, Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird…"_

The woman in the cocktail dress slowly stepped closer to the girl, the only sound in the air being her own soft singing and the loud sobs of the Little Sister. The girl did not seem to notice her voice, or she did not care. The woman took another step forward.

 _"And if that mockingbird don't sing, Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring…"_

The volume of the woman's singing increased, echoing down the hall with the girl's sobs, and it was with that echo the Little Sister realized she was not alone. With a soft gasp she stood, wide eyes cast down to the end of the hallway, searching for the mysterious singer, the last tears to fall still streaking down her cheeks. The Little Sister's eyes were not pointed in the correct direction to see the stranger, however.

 _"And if that diamond ring turns to brass, Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass…"_

Suddenly a hand fell down upon the girl's shoulder, and she let out a high-pitched squeal and jumped in fright. The hand held her tightly in place, preventing her from running, though she was glued to her spot in fear anyway. The hand was soon joined by another on her other shoulder, and she heard the stranger behind her kneel.

 _"Don't be afraid…"_ The stranger said, and it sounded as pretty as the singing before it had. The little girl relaxed slightly. The song, the voice… it felt familiar somehow… a memory tugged at the back of her mind… a woman… a kind woman… not scary and cruel like the strangers that hurt Mister Bubbles and tried to hurt her… she was protection… A mother. What was a mother? She had one? The memory was fuzzy… but it felt safe.

 _"And if that looking glass gets broke, Mama's gonna buy you a billy goat…"_

The woman sang the next lyrics to the nursery rhyme and her grip on the Little Sister's shoulders softened. The girl relaxed further. Perhaps this woman was safe like the mother from her memories.

 _"And if that billy goat don't pull, Mama's gonna by you a cart and bull…"_

The stranger behind her brought a hand up to softly stroke the girls ratty, matted blonde hair. It felt comforting… it felt like something a mother would do. The girl glanced over her shoulder at the stranger and was greeted by a mask that to her looked like a cute little kitty cat. The girl wasn't scared anymore. She knew that cats were not bad. They were very fluffy and fun, in fact, and anyone who appreciated a kitty cat was okay with her.

 _"There, there, little girl…"_ The woman in the cat mask said softly, her voice still holding the tune from the song. _"It's all right…"_

The Little Sister was reminded of her fallen friend and the tears began to well in her eyes once more. She shook the woman's hand from her shoulder and knelt beside her Big Daddy again. Behind her the woman in the cocktail dress hummed the song's tune and watched her with sharp, sly eyes and she shook the Big Daddy's arm again and quietly asked him to wake up.

 _"And if that cart and bull turns over, Mama's gonna buy you a dog named Rover…"_

The woman in the cocktail dressed scowled behind her cat mask. The girl no longer seemed to notice her. That damned metal daddy was the focus of her attention. That would not do. The girl needed to come with her. She needed to learn to listen when she was spoken to.

As gently as possible the woman reached forward and grabbed the girl's shoulders, spinning her around to face her. Her glowing, yellow eyes were still watery, but her attention was now on the woman in the cat mask before her. The woman gave the girl a smile she would not see, and continued to sing.

 _"And if that dog named Rover won't bark, Mama's gonna buy you a horse and cart…"_

The Little Sister's expression did not change, though she felt slightly confused. Why was this woman still here? What did she want? Was she here to protect, the way Mister Bubbles had done?

 _"Come with me, little girl…"_ The woman spoke as though she had heard the girl's thoughts clear as day. _"I will keep you safe from the monsters lurking in the shadows…"_

The girl blinked. She had heard that said to her once before. Her mother said it when she kissed her goodnight. And it made her feel safe in ways even Mister Bubbles hadn't done… And this woman made her feel safe in that way too.

So when the woman offered her hand to the little girl, she took it with a tiny smile on her lips.

"Are you my mother?" She asked the woman who made her feel safe. The woman did not respond, but simply stood, making the Little Sister stand as well, their hands still intertwined. Softly, the last lines of the song fell from behind her kitty cat mask.

 _"And if that horse and cart falls down, well you'll still be the sweetest little baby in town…"_

The two left the scene of the Big Daddy's death behind them, humming the tune of the Mockingbird Song together. And the little girl never once doubted the intentions of the woman in the kitty cat mask as anything but benevolent.

And the woman in the cocktail dress never once doubted her own success.

Somewhere in Olympus Heights, a Big Daddy's wail could be heard.


End file.
